Dance classes keep kids active

Cardio, self-esteem benefits make dance the perfect option

The correlation between physical activity and good health has
always been known among adults, but kids are now starting to
realize the benefits and enjoyment of keeping fit.

One of the top choices, particularly among girls, is dance, an
activity that instills the importance of hard work and physical
discipline in one. Numerous classes are available — anything from
traditional types like jazz and tap to new favorites like hip-hop
and lyrical — and two new dance studios have just opened in
Highlands Ranch to offer a new option for kids.

Rhapsody Performing Arts Center and Precision Dance are quietly
building a following in the community. About 10,000 mailers and
word-of-mouth has generated quite the buzz for Rhapsody.

Kelley Wick, co-owner of Rhapsody Performing Arts Center, says
her students are typically “huffing and puffing” from the physical
exertion of dance. Some routines among competitive dance troupes
last as long as eight minutes, and many include a variety of
difficult acrobatic maneuvers and spins.

Some students who take the classes for fun are there once a
week, whereas dedicated and serious dance competitors spend four
days a week at the facility, equating to 12 hours, said Julie
Geist, who also co-owns the facility with Wick, Heather Webb and
Tiffany Lengyel.

Experts have pointed to research that supports the need for
children to exercise at least one hour everyday. Inactivity has
been associated with the rising percentage of overweight and obese
children.

Dr. Matt Haemer, medical director of the GoodLIFE clinic at
Children’s Hospital in Denver, said a sharp drop in the amount of
physical activity at school combined with an increase in screen
time for video games and television has resulted in more cases of
obesity in the last 20 years. Parents have a big role in helping
set lifestyle standards. The capitalized “LIFE” in GoodLIFE stands
for Lifestyle-Influencing Fitness and Eating.

“Modeling active behavior is very important because kids do what
they remember their parents doing,” Haemer said.

Dance classes are a great source for regular physical activity
because they provide early structure and most kids have a genuine
interest in it. Haemer says the No. 1 activity for preschool-age
kids, in particular, is play, and the most important thing parents
should ask themselves is: Does the child like it? A dance class can
be a part of a whole package of eating healthy and exercising
regularly.

“Dance can be a wonderful way for kids to experience different
kinds of movements and gain confidence in them and take them to
other athletic ventures,” Haemer said. Another benefit is dance is
an activity that can be done at home.

Heather Schott, owner of Precision Dance near County Line Road
and South Broadway, said the kids get different types of workouts,
depending on the type of class. Low-impact classes, like tap and
ballet, increase the heart rate, but more intense classes such as
hip-hop and Mexican can get the students sweating.

Precision Dance, which opened in February, focuses not on
weight, but being healthy and keeping active, Schott said. There
are different body sizes and children with a larger build should
not be made to feel they are different, particularly when they put
in the same amount of work as everyone.

Dance classes help improve balance, strength, muscle tone and
mental focus. A side benefit, of course, is the self-esteem boost
the students feel when they nail a routine or dance number, Geist
said.

Rhapsody and other dance studios have followed the trend of many
schools by eliminating sugary drinks and snack food in favor of
healthy snacks. Rhapsody prides itself on teaching nutrition to
children early on. It offers salads, wraps and water as
refreshments.

“We’re offering a well-rounded education,” said Wick, who added
that more kids are aware of the upsides of proper nutrition and
exercise than ever before. “We always start with a warm-up and talk
about nutrition.”

It’s followed by a wild flurry of coordinated moves that leave
even the instructors sore the next day.

Haemer and other leading researchers on the National Children’s
Study, which began this year and focuses on Douglas County, will
host a question-and-answer session about keeping kids healthy and
active Aug. 15 at the Philip S. Miller Library in Castle Rock.